Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil, pg. 173

Hopefully it's ok to post one of Lorna's recipes.  I think every now and then she won't mind!  

Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil - Lorna Sass

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garilic, minced (I used 2 cloves)

6 large plum tomoatoes, finely chopped (I used Roma's)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I dumped around 3 tablespoons)

4 cups of COOKED basic farro (use barley if you can't find farro)

1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil - packed

salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:  Heat oil in a large skillet and add the garlic.  Stir for 30 seconds.  Add in the tomatoes, vinegar, and oregano, cook for 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked farro and season with salt and pepper.  When the farro is hot, turn off the heat and stir in the basil.  Garnish with cheese.

I broke the number one rule and didn't use a grain!  I searched several stores in the valley and could not find farro.  No one even knew what it was when I asked.  I put organic orzo pasta in my cart and decided to go with it! I should've read the note where barley can be substituted for farro. 

What a simple dish full of flavor!  Ben loved the taste and took the leftovers for lunch the next day.     

 Husband Rating: 4/5 Grains   -amy

Last week I cooked the Farro for this recipe with full attention to cook it in the same day, but of course other things came up.  So tonight, when I needed to make a quick dinner, this was perfect.  The recipe came together in less than 15 minutes and tasted amazing!  I'm not sure where the big difference is from other red sauces I've made in the past, but the flavor in this sauce is unique and powerful.  I'm guessing it's the balsamic vinegar?!
It is March, and almost no veggies are in season locally right now, especially not tomatoes.  Instead of paying $4-5/lb for unripe tomatoes, I picked up 1 small organic can of whole tomatoes.  As far as cost goes, this dish is probably the lowest price recipe we've cooked yet...here's how mine breaks out:

$1.69-Canned Tomatoes
$1.50-Basil (I bought more, but didn't use all of it...so this is for about 1/3 of the pack)
$1.50-Farro...have we mentioned whole, dry grains are super cheap!?!
$2-Balsamic Vinegar, Dried Oregano (approximate guess)
Total: $6.69
This will feed me for at least 3 meals which is a great price for super healthy and homemade.
If you're reading this and waiting for a recipe to make...this is definitely one to try.  Go for the Farro and do it...You won't regret it! -Vicki